Chapter 6 and 7 Vocab

Public opinion

Citizens' views on politics and government actions.

liberal or conservative ideology

A way of describing political beliefs in terms of a position on the spectrum running from liberal to moderate to conservative.

latent opinion

An opinion formed on the spot, when it is needed (as distinct from a deeply held opinion that is stable over time).

political socialization

The process by which an individual's political opinions are shaped by other people and the surrounding culture.

mass survey

A way to measure public opinion by interviewing a large sample of the population.

population

The group of people that a researcher or pollster wants to study, such as evangelicals, senior citizens, or Americans.

sample

Within a population, the group of people surveyed in order to gauge the whole population's opinion. Researchers use samples because it would be impossible to interview the entire population.

sampling error

A calculation that describes what percentage of the people surveyed may not accurately represent the population being studied. Increasing the number of respondents lowers the sampling error.

random sample

A subsection of a population chosen to participate in a survey through a selection process in which every member of the population has an equal chance of being chosen. This kind of sampling improves the accuracy of public opinion data.

ideological polarization

The effect on public opinion when many citizens move away from moderate positions and toward either end of the political spectrum, identifying themselves as either liberals or conservatives.

policy mood

The level of public support for expanding the government's role in society; whether the public wants government action on a specific issue.

mass media

Sources that provide information to the average citizen, such as newspapers, television networks, radio stations, podcasts, and websites.

wire service

An organization that gathers news and sells it to other media outlets. The invention of the telegraph in the early 1800s made this type of service possible.

yellow journalism

A style of newspaper popular in the late 1800s that featured sensationalized stories, bold headlines, and illustrations to increase readership.

investigative journalists

Reporters who dig deeply into a particular topic of public concern, often targeting government failures and inefficiencies.

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

A government agency created in 1934 to regulate American radio stations and later expanded to regulate television, wireless communications technologies, and other broadcast media.

broadcast media

Communications technologies, such as television and radio, that transmit information over airwaves.

fairness doctrine

An FCC regulation requiring broadcast media to present several points of view to ensure balanced coverage. It was created in the late 1940s and eliminated in 1987.

equal time provision

An FCC regulation requiring broadcast media to provide equal airtime on any non-news programming to all candidates running for an office.

media conglomerates

Companies that control a large number of media sources across several types of media outlets.

news cycle

The time between the release of information and its publication, such as the 24 hours between issues of a daily newspaper.

on background or off the record

Comments a politician makes to the press on the condition that they can be reported only if they are not attributed to that politician.

by-product theory

The idea that many Americans acquire political information unintentionally rather than by seeking it out.

media effects

The influence of media coverage on average citizens' opinions and actions.

filtering

The influence on public opinion that results from journalists' and editors' decisions about which of many potential news stories to report.

slant

The imbalance in a story that covers one candidate or policy favorably without providing similar coverage of the other side.

priming

The influence on the public's general impressions caused by positive or negative coverage of a candidate or an issue.

framing

The influence on public opinion caused by the way a story is presented or covered, including the details, explanations, and context offered in the report.

attack journalism

A type of increasingly popular media coverage focused on political scandals and controversies, which causes a negative public opinion of political figures.

horse race

A description of the type of election coverage that focuses more on poll results and speculation about a likely winner than on substantive differences between the candidates.

soft news

Media coverage that aims to entertain or shock, often through sensationalized reporting or by focusing on a candidate or politician's personality.

hard news

Media coverage focused on facts and important issues surrounding a campaign.